We are saddened by the passing of Sonja Bata, an integral part of our organization since 1971, when she joined the international board of trustees. She remained a generous supporter who advanced our conservation work many times over. Rest in Peace, Mrs. Bata..Sonja Bata, matriarch of the Bata footwear family, is pictured here with HRH Prince Philip, president emeritus of WWF, and Monte Hummel, president emeritus of WWF-Canada.

Happy #WorldWhaleDay! Did you know that over the course of a year, Canadian waters are visited by around 33 species of whales? What's your favourite? 🐋 Joyeuse Journée international des baleines! Laquelle est votre préférée? Humpback in the Great Bear Rainforest, B.C. 📷 Andrew S. Wright / WWF-Canada

#DYK Hudson Bay polar bears walk up to 5000 km each year across sea ice in search of food and to raise their cubs? Help us work to protect critical Arctic habitats by participating in a #PolarBearWalk! Visit polarbearwalk.wwf.ca to find out how you can join us. 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ | 📷 Magnus Andersen / Norwegian Polar Institute / WWF-Canon

There's a killer whale population that lives in the Salish Sea, which has a diet made almost entirely of chinook salmon. The southern residents have unique and complex hunting techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation, and that's making it difficult for them to adapt to a shortage of salmon. Many are starving to death. In fact a two-year-old orca from the J-pod you see in this video is believed to have starved to death last year. We are now working with @ecojustice_ca, @raincoastconservation, @davidsuzukifdn, @nrdc_org and @georgiastraitbc to reverse their decline. Together, we urge Fisheries and Oceans Canada to implement an emergency order to address imminent threats to the survival of the remaining 76 whales. Head to blog.wwf.ca to read more about the action needed to save this population. #ProtectOrcas ---Thanks to @hysazu for generously providing us with this beautiful footage from Rosario Strait.-----Il existe une population d’épaulards vivant dans la mer des Salish qui s’alimente presque exclusivement de saumons quinnats. Les résidents du Sud possèdent des techniques de chasse uniques et complexes qui se transmettent de génération en génération, ce qui rend difficile pour cette population de s’adapter à la pénurie de saumons. Plusieurs ne survivent pas. D’ailleurs, l’épaulard de deux ans que l’on aperçoit ici dans la vidéo est mort de faim dans la dernière année. Nous travaillons maintenant avec @ecojustice_ca, @raincoastconservation, @davidsuzukifdn, @nrdc_org et @georgiastraitbc afin de renverser leur déclin. Ensemble, nous demandons à Pêches et Océans Canada de mettre en place un décret d’urgence pour faire face aux menaces imminentes à leur survie. Rendez-vous sur notre blogue pour en savoir plus sur les actions nécessaires pour préserver cette population.

Canada is home to two-thirds of the world's polar bears, so we're pleased to see Canada delivering on their commitment to safeguard the species. We are currently two years into a 10-year action plan that all five polar bear range states (swipe to see!) agreed upon. The first scorecard gives Canada strong points for increasing monitoring and tracking for six of our 13 subpopulations – more than any other country. Canada also developed regulations and pioneered new technologies to combat illegal trade of polar bear parts. Where does work need to be done? Identifying and protecting critical habitats; setting best practices for tourism operators; setting best practices for oil spill response and prevention. We hope the range states will work together to combat issues facing the species - the biggest of all: climate change. 📷 Elisabeth Kruger

Congrats to all the winners of last year's photo contest! Did you receive our 2018 calendar? If so, some of these may look familiar - especially the image of the humpback whale, which was chosen as the winning photo. Visit blog.wwf.ca to see more photos. And stay tuned for the next #WWFPhotoContest! 👌-📷: Natalie Gillis, Humpback whale diving .📷: Ian Stotesbury, A brown bear catching a salmon trying to make its way up Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park .📷: Vicky Chauhan, Star turtle .📷: Martina Schneider, A pair of Northern Gannets photographed during a courtship display .📷: Miro Mytny, Polar bear in den .📷: Merri-Lee Metzger, Endangered Great Lakes piping plover .📷: Martina Schneider, Loon shakes off water at sunrise .📷: Megan Lorenz, Atlantic puffin holding a wild iris in his beak to present to his mate for nesting material .📷: Angus Hamilton, A pair of elks .

What's that? Just a wallaby taking a dip. Although it's a welcome sight, it's indicative of an issue facing wildlife in Australia: rising temperatures. New South Wales is experiencing a 40C-45C heatwave, so even wildlife are looking for ways to cool down. In some cases, wildlife aren't able to adapt to the extreme heat. Just a couple of weeks ago, hundreds of flying fox bats died because there wasn't enough canopy cover to protect them from the heat. Increasing temperatures create more heat waves and more droughts, and that's why WWF officers around the world are working to tackle climate change. ☀️🐨🦇.🎥Maya Linnell via Storyful.#australia#wallaby#kangaroo#ocean#oceans#newsouthwales#victoria#victoriaaustralia#climate#climatechange#globalwarming#flyingfox#flyingfoxbat#wwf#wwfcanada